Alberta dog abandoned in the cold by her owners at off-leash park

An Alberta dog has received an outpouring of support after being found abandoned at a dog park in Okotoks.

She was left over the weekend with a jacket, boots, medication, and a note that said her owners were not coming back for her. 

Pause4change, a non-profit organization, recently took to Facebook to share the dog’s story and how she got there.

“Her name is Raiya. The owners were leaving the country, and instead of finding an appropriate home for her, they abandoned her in the cold,” the post said.

Luckily, someone found Raiya at the dog park and brought her to Southern Alberta Veterinary Emergency (SAVE) in Okotoks. Raiya was in the care of Pause4change, where they discovered she had some health issues.

pause4change/Facebook

“This sweet girl has suspected hip dysplasia and also has a seizure disorder that she is currently on medication for. We are actively working on getting all her medical needs cared for, which will be upwards of $2,000 to start.”

People flooded the comments with just how heartbreaking her story is. “How heartbreaking. Thankful that she is in a good place full of love,” someone commented. “Such a sweet pup. I don’t know how someone could walk away from her,” another added.

While Raiya hasn’t been medically cleared to find her forever home, Pause4change shared an update that she has found a foster family for the time being. They also wanted to share a message with Raiya’s previous owners and the community.

pause4change/Facebook

“When we don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life, it’s easy to be upset at the choices people make and not understand why you left Raiya.”

“Our rescue system is in trouble. Owners who need to surrender their pets due to circumstances outside of their control have no places for these pets to go.”

Pause4change is currently raising funds for Raiya’s medical care, as well as asking anyone who’s able to foster animals to apply to prevent things like this from happening.

“We need more foster homes. We need more donations to be able to help the animals who need it most. We need more supporters to help navigate these difficult times so that situations like this don’t happen. “

You can view the full post online. 

You might also like:
• One town near Calgary is seeing record-high home inventory levels
• Alberta has the most economic freedom in Canada but only ranks 30th in North America
• Here's where you can cut down a real Christmas tree in Alberta